Students develop a method to find which antacid tablets are the best at neutralizing acids.
Students learn about inertia and movement by studying the effects of rolling of marbles on different surfaces.
Students work in groups to build bridges to hold marble weights. By doing so they discover how to build strong bridges.
Inquiry based learning is a way of assuring students become more actively involved in what they are learning, particularly in the content area of Science.
A special case of inquiry learning is problem-based learning (PBL). Students are assigned to teams and provided with an ill-defined problem. Teams must organize themselves, define objectives, assign responsibilities, conduct research, analyze results, and present conclusions. The problems are purposely “ill-defined,” causing team members to work collaboratively to define specific issues, problems, and objectives. Such tasks mimic the problem-solving skills that professionals engage in, whether repairing automobiles, or treating cancer patients. Problem-based learning employs open-ended questions that are not limited to a single correct answer. The questions elicit diverse ideas and opinions and require students to work as a group. Problem-based learning naturally integrates various fields of study as students search beyond the traditional curricular boundaries to develop solutions.
The Hands-On Universe (HOU) project is an educational program that enables students to investigate the Universe while applying tools and concepts from science, math, and technology. Using the Internet, HOU participants around the world request observations from an automated telescope, download images from a large image archive, and analyze them with the aid of user-friendly image processing software. The HOU pedagogical resources are typical tools inspired from Inquiry-based science education (IBSE).
